Home › Prayers › A Difficult Family Member
Prayer library
A Prayer for a Difficult Family Member
Family can be the hardest place to love well. This is a prayer for grace, patience, and peace in a difficult family relationship.
Lord, You know how hard this relationship is.
Give me patience where I run out, and grace where I feel none.
Guard my heart from bitterness, and show me how to love wisely.
Bring peace where it is possible, and healing in Your time.
Change us both, Lord. Amen.
“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”
Romans 12:18
You don’t have to pray alone
On The Living Bread you can ask the family of God to pray for you and watch prayers be answered, or pray for someone else who needs it today. It is free, and you are welcome exactly as you are.
This prayer at a glance
| Prayer for | A Difficult Family Member |
|---|---|
| Lines to pray | 5 |
| Anchored in | Romans 12:18 |
| Time to pray it | about a minute, slowly |
| Related prayers | 3 |
Read it in context
Scripture explains Scripture. These passages are linked to this one most often by readers.
- Hebrews 12:14
- Matthew 5:9
- Romans 14:19
- 2 Corinthians 13:11
- James 3:16-18
- Galatians 5:22
- Mark 9:50
- Proverbs 12:20
- 1 Peter 3:11
- 2 Timothy 2:22
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY.
Questions people ask
What Scripture is a prayer for a difficult family member built on?
It rests on Romans 12:18. The prayer above is written in plain words around that passage, and the verse is quoted from the stored text, not from memory.
What if I have no words to pray for a difficult family member?
Start with the first line of the prayer above and stop there if that is all you can say. God hears the first honest sentence. You can also ask the family of God on The Living Bread to pray with you and for you.
Can I pray this for someone else?
Yes. Change the first person to their name and pray the same lines for them. Praying for others is part of loving one another, and you can ask the family of God to join you.
Pray this
Father, you are already present in A Difficult Family Member, before any of us arrive. We bring you difficult family member, forgiveness, an enemy. Make us people who love one another there. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Live this
Three small things you can do this week.
- Pray the lines above once today, out loud if you can, and read Romans 12:18 in your own Bible.
- Tell one trusted person that you are praying about difficult family member, and ask them to pray with you.
- Write down one thing you notice this week, so that you can thank God by name when it comes.
Where this fits in the walk with Christ
Christ meets people in a place, and then walks on with them. Here are doors that walk on.
